The Federal government, through the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has responded to the general complaints by modern car owners of lack of capacity by most technicians to properly diagnose modern cars because of technology improvements which came with today’s newly manufactured cars or auto-vehicles.
Many car owners have had their cars damaged by technicians because of poor handling resulting from inabilities of auto-technicians (popularly known as Mechanics) to handle most automobiles with automation that are out of reach for most of them, in terms of exposure during apprenticeship or hands-on during post-training experiences.
While declaring the 5-Day training open today in Kano, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, NASENI, Engr. Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna said that the auto-technical training programme given to the Kano youths was an intervention through a directive by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, whose interest is the empowerment of youths in kano State (NorthWest) and also as response to the need to give new skills to youths and to empower those who are already in auto-mechanics with new knowledge of how to diagnose and maintain new vehicles, most of which are now designed and manufactured through a combination of mechanical and electronic features rolled into one.
According to the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, “without the necessary upgrade of knowledge, training and retraining of present crop of Nigeria’s auto-technicians, many of whom are already thrown out of their jobs, would continue to be thrown out of jobs and the larger society could not afford to allow such trend to continue because of its negative socio-economic implications.
“Without proper upgrade of today’s auto-technicians on our streets in handling modern cars, they would have many more cars of customers damaged and therefore everyone become the loser. Most Modern cars run on a combination of mechanical techniques combined with electronic features which are out of reach of most technicians that are presently operating in our communities. And if we don’t have them trained and their skills upgraded, most of the technicians are already being thrown out of their jobs and car owners are already facing the difficulties of having their cars maintained efficiently.
Therefore, the intervention by NASENI to train auto-technicians nationwide beginning from kano State (Northwest Zone) could not have come at a better time, Professor Haruna said.
While explaining further the rationale for the special skills training, the Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI explained that “more importantly, the work force in Nigeria today needed general upgrade of skills and to give the youths, men and women new competencies in preparation for the arrival of the country at the knowledge-economy phase and also her drive toward industrialization in line with the directive given to NASENI by President Muhammadu Buhari”
According to Professor Haruna, Nigeria need massive upgrade of persons with technical skills, knowledge and vocations across the country in order to redirect the productive competencies of the country toward transforming the nation into a manufacturing economy driven on the skills and technical capabilities of Nigerians in their various fields or economic activities.
The training therefore targets not only the auto-technicians on their jobs but also the programme by NASENI aimed at increasing the technical competencies of the youths and men toward industrialization and manufacturing feats in the country currently being championed by NASENI as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji expressed the gratitude of the kano State Government for the intervention by NASENI because the programme had come to address a very critical issue of unemployment and also meeting the need of auto-mobile vehicle owners who are already expressing frustration in the poor maintenance of their vehicles around Kano State and its environs. He said if the head of a family’s income is affected negatively because of inadequate knowledge in handling modern cars, then, the entire family will experience economic hardship. So the intervention in the area of upgrade of the skills and knowledge of the auto-technicians is a direct economic interventions and empowerment to families in Kano state.
State-of-the art auto equipment, tools and diagnostic kits worth millions of naira were handed over to the 100 participants in Kano metropolis today, making the number of three(3) states with similar exercise. The Agency has taken the same training to Kebbi and Oyo States to ensure that 10 million jobs are created as promised by the present administration.
Flagging off of the programme in Kano today, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Engr. Prof Mohammed Sani Haruna said the programme was the first-phase of auto-technical training in the North-West region by the Agency in the implementation of series of President Muhammadu Buhari’s directives to NASENI to ensure development of skills of the nation’s teeming youths necessary for job creation and self-employment generation.
He said Kano state was selected for the flag-off ceremony because of its occupational trade, advanced skills development and a true mixture of the rural and urban Nigeria setting with all the nationalities living peacefully and thriving commercially.
“The latest model of any automobiles in the world are all available in Kano. This also informs the selection of this speciality for gainful employment, for capacity building, and for development and intervention.” he said.
While extoling the ingenuity and creativity of Nigerians when it comes to ability and capacity to observe operations, structure, and built-up of automobiles especially through backward integration techniques, Professor Haruna said Nigeria artisans and mechanics were able to clone automobiles through sourcing of Semi-Knocked Down (SKD), Completely Knocked Down (CKD) and even locally fabricated components/parts, body building and assembling of passengers and cargo vehicles without any training or technical know-how.
“They are able to diagnose faulty mechanical components and restore functionality of vehicles without having prior training in the methods of conventional or first and second-generation vehicle even through trial and errors. Their innovation has provided employment for large able men who might not even have a formal education. They diagnose and repair malfunctioned vehicles than certified Engineers could without hands-on practical exposure.
He said that trial and error method of repairs and maintenance are risky, expensive and incompatible with modern vehicles and automobiles of tomorrow, thus, the essence of the training and empowerment programme of the Federal Government for Nigerian youths across the country.
Explaining the importance of modern automobile, he said, it has computerized Engine Management Systems (EMS) which deploys advanced control logics, digital electronics and making them sophisticated. “It is easy to trace and address faults in the vehicles without which maintenance becomes too expensive and complicated and at times destructive. Many modern cars are grounded for simple lack of intelligent diagnostic tools or know-how”
Amongst the automobile tools handed over to the participants by NASENI in Kano are Complete Auto tools, OBD 11Auto Diagnostic Scanner, Cover all, Safety Helmet, Safety Foot Wears, Hand gloves, Safety Google, Respiratory mask, T. Shirt, Face cap, Training bag to include training manual, programme, pad, tag and other writing materials.
